Spice and Wolf 11: Making innocent girls do the dirty work.

“Don’t tell me, is a good-natured person like you going to trick that girl?” – Horo (13:24).

Spice and Wolf 11Wolf and great plan

Spice and Wolf has previously given us some informative lessons in early capitalism with topics covering coinage, short selling and bargaining. This week in Capitalism 101 – exploition (now).

I don’t know if there is a shortage of characters or if the author enjoys the notion of little church girls on drug smuggling runs. This episode has Lawrence spending half his time feeding Noora alcohol while attempting to swindle her into to joining his illegal gold smuggling ring. In concession to the author, the story has Lawrence reluctantly doing it and Noora only agreeing because ‘it’s Lawrence’ (she wants his babies).

Masterminding the deal is Horo who cunningly came up with the idea and volunteered to trick Noora into it first (Lawrence vetoed her so he could prove his… manliness). For Horo it’s pretty much win-win. If Noora succeeds, she gets ripped off, Lawrence gains at least 44 Rumerian coins to pay off his debt while Noora gets paid 20. If Noora gets caught, Horo loses a rival and Lawrence is forced to escape into the wilderness with her.

I apologise to Horo fans, she may be a God but she is no more angelic. Horo is like the classic Japanese alien in animé, foreign, fiesty, arrogant and unattainable. Pretty much everything unlike typical Japanese women. While she may energetically wag her tail and flirt, unlike Greek Gods and Mermaids of old folkstories, Horo is unable to settledown with men. It’s all too predictable, she will go north, depart from the world of men and that will be the end of the story.